Back from Tennesee and Maine

Time Flies When You're Having Fun
Okay, as methods of journaling, go, blogging has been the hardest for me to get into a groove with. I am too used to curling up with my beloved book and one of my many pens. It is a comforting ritual for me and this has not become so yet. So...July...lets see...the month started out with a bang as my two sisters were visiting. Independence Day holds some of our family's most reliable and treasured traditions and both my sisters arranged their visits just to be home. Our town has a celebration that is iconic in its small-town patriotism. All the elements are there: the parade down the main street, the barbecue parties at every house, the fireworks at the high school-its just classic.
After that, the month barreled along and included a trip to Tennesee with one sister, a couple of days at home, then a trip to Maine. In between the kids went to a total of 3 different camps/retreats, with all the attendant busyness to get them out the door. This week was spent looking at photos and doing laundry...and not packing the car.
As for knitting, well, let's see...another pair of armwarmers for mom out of Sockatta with a cute little picot bind-off, toe up socks for my Stitches class, and two sweaters in process to display for the fall newsletter. One is mostly done, the other, well, we may have to display just a front and some sleeves. A faux sweater is better than no sweater, as I always say.
I can hardly believe it is the end of the month already. But here we are. Next time-photos of Maine. Stay tuned.

To Utah and Back

Well, the last weeks were spent fitting the knitting in around the major endeavor of getting son one out the door for his two years of missionary service for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There were so many last minute details and so many things to try and savor and enjoy and not get stressed about. It was wonderful to see him rise to the occasion and be really quite poised and mature about the whole matter. He took care of all the practical aspects like visas, shots, applications, etc. He mostly just told me what he was alredy taking care of on his own. It does a mother's heart good to see a kid actually function in the real world. I always said my job was to create humans who could live without me. Some have called me callous for having that attitude, but really, what better gift can I give them? I certainly don't want them dependent and suffering without me there to make them a sandwich. So we went with him to Utah to begin his service. We won't see him at all for two years, but instead of being scary or sad or difficult, it was a good parting. He was ready to go, and the sense I had was that he is in the right place at the right time. That to me is the definition of peace, and that is what I felt. Anyway, in the midst of this busy time, what should come but an absolutely lovely gift from my secret pal. In a meticulously wrapped box with my name hand lettered in beautiful caligraphy came extraordinary yarn and one of my favorite books ever to treasure for my very own. It was a lovely moment of sweetness. That strangers with nothing in common at the outset but knitting can come together in this way and really care about each other is a very special thing. In a time of very tender emotions, the care that was taken with this simple gift moved me to tears. That someone who knows me only as words on a screen would do much for me warmed my heart.

The middle picture is me just plain showing off. My youngest sister is in town with her new baby and they are so beautiful, I just figured they needed to be published.